Automatic crossing gate



Mar. 3, 1925. 11,528,337

l. LlGH T f AUTOMATIC CROSSING GATE Filed April 1 7, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet l (u D Q 9 H T m 11 i um E .A Q b; l 1 i. J I/ #Q b w ms o o Vy y A l Q* w 1 U l, LIGHT AUTOMATIC CROSSING GATE Mar. 3. 1925.

` 2 Sheets-Shet 2 Filed April 17.,- 1922 RTX . T\ mw Patented Mar. 3, 1925.

UNITED STATES ISRAEL LIGHT7l or PLArNnInLn, INDIANA.

AUTOMATIC CROSSJING GATE.

Application filed AprI 17, 1922.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that l, Islaam. LIGHT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Flainfield, in the county of Hendricks and State of indiana, have invented` certain new and useful improvements: in Automatic Crossing Gates, of which the following is a speciiieation.

rlhis invention relates to automatic crossing gates adapted primarily for use along electric railway lines although the same` may be employed in connection with steam railways or for any crossing where pedestrians or vehicles are traveling, and the prime feature of the invention is the provision of electrically operated means for automatically lowering gates along side the railway track and across a roadway, street or path over which pedestrians and vehicles are travelinv'.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of automatically operated `means for normally retaining the gates either in elevated or lowered position.

A further feature of the invention is in so mounting the gate that the same may be swung laterally to permit the passage of pedestrians or vehicles in the event they are trapped between the gates or do' not observe that the gates are in lowered position.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of means for automatically returning the gates to their initial positions after being swung to a lateral position.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter more fully set forth and pointed out in the accompanying specification.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a vertical section through a portion of the structure constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the operating means for one of the gates.

Figure 2 is a diagrammatic View ofthe electrical apparatus for operating the gates,

Figure 3 is an enlarged section through the movable support for Voneof the gate bars, i

Figure iris. a detailed .section taken approximately on the line f-t of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings, .a housing 1,

' forming a supporting pedestal, isplaced at each side of the railway tracks and at one side ofthe roadway. This houslngvis` hollow and is provided on its interi-or, near the upperench with a suitable bracketQ- for sup- Serial No. 553,366.

porting a series of electro-magnet coils 8: having hollow cores to provide a central hollow space through which a movable armature 4 is adapted to move. A supporting guide rod 5 extends centrally through the housing and is supported at the bottom thereof in any suitable manner, and this rod is embraced by a movable sleeve member 6 which fits over thev guide rod 5 and is adapted to move vertically thereon. V armature i is attached to the upper end of thevsleevefG and the lower end of the sleeve is equipped with a circuit closing member 7 which consists of oppositely extending arms 8 and 9, the a-rm 8 being in constant engagement with a contact bar 10, while the other arm 9 is provided with diverging Contact fingers 11 adapted to engage the stationary and separated terminals 12 of the wires 13 leading' from t-he electro-magnet coils 3, or any suitable contactmay be provided and of--such length thatit will contact with two or more of the terminals V12 simultaneously. VrIhe opposite terminals of the electro-magnetic coils 3 are connected to a ground wire 14:.

The housing 1, as shown clearly 1n Figure 3 of thel drawings, is provided with a stationary top 15 equipped with a vertical hollow sleeve 16 upon which a movable gate bar support 17 is mounted. The gate bar support 17 consists ofl a hollow Vcasing substantially semi-circular in formation, shownin Figure 3, and equipped with a hollow projection 18 adapted to fit over the sleeve 16, the sleeve thus forming an artis upon which the member 17 may turn. The lower end of the hollow supporting sleeve 18l is preferably disposed at an yangle and rests upon a similarly constructed shoulder 19 formed on the member 16, thusl normally' holding the housing 17 in position to extend a gateassociated therewith over the roadwhen lowered.

By swiveling the member 17 on the sleeve 16, the gate associated therewith, when in lowered position, may be swung out of the path of a vehicle, when pressure is directed thereagainst, and owing'V to the angle of the lower end of the sleeve 18 and shoulder 19, the gate will swing by gravity to its initial position when pressure is released therefrom. A i

` A shaftQ() extends through the housing 17 and loosely carriers a hol-lowv segmental -memberQl which issubstantially in the form The of a quarter-section of a grooved pulley, the groove 22 being adapted to receive the chain 23 which is secured to the pulley segment at 24 and has its opposite terminal attached to the armature 4. lVithin hollow segmental section 2l, and keyed to the shaft 9.0 is the automatic latching member 25 which is substantially segmental in formation and has its intermediate portion provided with a notch 26 within which is received an abutment member 27 carried by the pulley segment 21. A coil spring 2S also connects the pulley segment to the member 25 for a purpose which will presently appear.

The latching member 25 has one end provided with a locking hook 3() and the opposite end provided with a locking hook 3l. each hook being provided with a finger portion 32 adapted to he engaged b y set screw 33 carried by the pulley segment 2l. The hook member 3l is adapted to engage a lug 34 on the housing 17 when the gate is in inoperative position and the hook 30 is adapted to engage a similar lug 35 at a diametrically opposite point in the housing l when the gate is in lowered position. The Jterminals of the shaft 2O are extended to be connected to the gate bar 36 whereby the gate bar will be operated when the shaft 2() is actuated.

With respect to the operation of the mechanical structure shown in Figure 3, when the coils are energized a downward pull will be exerted on the chain 23 which will set up rotation of the pulley segment 21 and cause set screw 33 to exert a pull on the arm 32, thus releasingthe hook 3l from the latch bar 34. The lug` 27 will then engage one side of the notch 26 and the continued downward pull on the chain will impart a turning movement to the shaft 20, thus moving the gate bars downwardly to a horizontal position. Then this movement has been completed the hook 30 will engage the latch bar 35 and hold the gate in closed position. The spring 28 must he sufficiently strong to raise the weight of the armature 4, the sleeve 6, and the switch member 7. This spring holds the members 2l and 25 in closed position as shown in Figure 3. Vvlhen the current is released, the spring 28 will exert an upward pull on the pulley segment 2l and thus release the hook 30 from the latch 35, whereupon the weights on the ends of the gate vbars will act to swing the gate bars back to vertical position.

It will be seen, therefore, that the conjunction of the electrical and mechanical apparatus causes the device to be entirely automatic and will effectively operate without the attention of any attendant or watchman.

Minor changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the scope of the claims hereunto appended, and it will be understood that this device can be operated from storage batteries, thereby adapting it for various uses and with steam roads as well as electric.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

l. In an automatic crossing gate construction, a supporting housing, a casing mounted upon the housing, a transverse shaft, a gate bar connected to said shaft, a pulley segment mounted on the shaft within the casing, a segmental latching member keyed to the shaft and associated with the said pulley segment, a Hexible connection attached to the pulley segment and leading into the said supporting housing, electrically operated means for imparting a pull on the said flexible connection whereby the pulley segment will be actuated, and a connection between the said latching member and the pulley segment whereby the pulley segment will move the said latching member to impart a turning movement to the shaft when a pull is exerted on the said flexible connection.

2. In a crossing gate, a supporting housing, a casing mounted upon the housing, a shaft extending transversely through said casing, a gate bar connected to said shafta pulley segment mounted on the shaft within the casing, a segmental latching member keyed to the shaft and associated with tlu` pulley segment, a flexible connection attached to the pulley segment and leading into the said supporting housing, electrically operated means for imparting a pull on the said flexible connection whereby the pulley segment will be actuated, a connection between the said latching member and th(` pulley segment whereby the pulley will move the said latching member to impart a turning movement to the shaft when a pull is exerted on the said flexible connection, means for locking said latching member in lits raised or lowered position, and means actu-- ated by the movement of the pulley segment for releasing said locking means.

3. In a crossing gate, a supporting housing, a casingmounted upon the housing, a shaft extending transversely through said casing, a gate bar attached to said shaft, a. pulley segment mounted on the shaft within the casing, a segmental latching member keyed to the shaft and associated with the pulley segment, a flexible connection attached to the pulley segment and leading into said supporting housing, electrically operated means for imparting a pull on the said iiexible connection whereby the pulley segment will be actuated, a connection be tween the said latching member and the pulley segment whereby the pulley segment will move the said latching member to impart a turning movement to the shaft when a pull is exerted on the said flexible connection,

hooks carried at the extremities of said latching member, a latch bar on said casing adapted to be engaged by the uppermost hook to normally maintain the latching member in its uppermost position, a second latch bar on said casing adapted to be engaged by the other hook for holding the said latching member in its lowermost position, and a spring connected between said pulley segment and said latching member whereby a pull will be exerted 0n the pulley segment for releasing the second mentioned hook when the pull on the flexible connection isreleased.

a. An apparatus of the character described comprising a housing, a casing mounted upon the housing, a gate bar associated with the casing, a shaft carried by the casing and connected with the said gate bar, a series of electromagnet coils in the said housing, an armature movable through the coils, electrical contacts associated with the coil for successively energizing the coils whereby the armature will move vertically in the housing, a segmental pulley attached to the said shaft, a flexible connection between the said segmental pulley and the said armature whereby the pulley will be actuated when the coils are energized, and means for returning the' segmental pulley to inoperative position when the coils are cle-energized.

In a crossing gate, a pivotally mounted gate bar, a plurality of separate coils arranged for forming a continuous magnet, an armature movable through said coils, a sleeve depending centrally from said armature, a guide rod for said sleeve, a contact bar, a plurality of separated terminals, means carried by said sleeve and contacting with said Contact bar and terminals for successively energizing said coils for causing said armature to move the length of said plurality of coils, and means for connecting said armature to said gate bar.

6. In a crossing gate, a casing, a shaft extending transversely through said casing, a hollow pulley segment loosely mounted on said shaft and within the casing, a segmental latching member fixed to said shaft, means for causing said latching member to rotate when the pulley segment is rotated, said pulley segment having a limited movement independent of said latching member, and means for imparting rotation to said pulley segment.

7. In a crossing gate a supporting housing having an inclined surface adjacent its upper end, a casing pivotally mounted on said housing, a shaft extending centrally through said casing, a gate bar carried on said shaft outside of said casing, said casing having an inclined surface adjacent its lower end adapted for cooperation with the inclined surface on the supporting housing for maintaining the gate extended in a predew termined direction, and means for rotating said shaft to lower said gate bar to a hori` zontal position, substantially as set forth.

8. In a crossing gate a supporting housing having a tubular upstanding portion, an inclined shoulder surrounding said portion, a casing` having a downwardly extending tubular portion of a size slightly greater than and adapted to fit over the upstanding tubular portion on the supporting housing, the lower end of the tubular portion of said casing being inclined for cooperation with the shoulder on the supporting housing for maintaining the gate bar in a predetermined position, substantially as set forth.

9. In a barrier gate construction, a supporting housing, a casing pivotally mounted upon the housing, a shaft extending transversely through said casing, a pulley member carried by said shaft in said casing, a lug on said pulley member, a segmental latch member in said casing having a bifurcated portion for engagement with said lug, pive oted latches carried by said latch member adapted to be latched and unlatched by the rotation of said pulley member, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana, this 13th day of April, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-two.

ISRAEL LIGHT. [n s] Witnesses CAREY S. FRYE, M. L. SHULER. 

